This species was formerly considered to be a synonym of Telmatobius marmoratus (Vellard 1970). It was resurrected as a full species by De la Riva et al. (2000). T. ifornoi is included as a synonym of this species, following De la Riva (2005).

Justification:
Listed as Near Threatened since although its Extent of Occurrence is probably less than 5,000 km2 and its habitat might be declining, thus making the species close to qualifying for Vulnerable, it probably occurs in more than ten locations, and its range is probably not severely fragmented.

This species is known only from the Yungas forests of La Paz Department, Bolivia, from 2,000-3,000m asl. Telmatobius ifornoi, known only from Chuspipata, in Nor Yungas Province, La Paz Department, at 3,050m asl, is now considered to be a synonym (Lavilla and Ergueta 1999).

It is an aquatic species that occurs in fast-flowing rivers and streams in cloud forests and Yungas forest. It is often present in the muddy bottoms of streams. There is no information on its breeding biology, though it presumably takes place by larval development in streams.

It is affected by ongoing habitat loss and degradation, as a result of logging and agricultural expansion. It is also threatened by water pollution and aquaculture. Despite these threats its populations appear to be currently stable. However, chytridiomycosis is a potential future threat that could cause serious declines, but this has not yet been confirmed in this species.

It occurs in Parque Nacional y Área Natural de Manejo Integrado Cotapata, and Área Natural de Manejo Integrado Nacional Apolobamba. Given the possible threat of chytridiomycosis, this species should be monitored closely.